Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Eu preciso comprar uma bicicleta para você.

In Portuguese, preciso is used when the subject is eu (I), so we conjugate precisar in the first-person singular: eu preciso. If the subject were ele / ela / você, we would use precisa, as in você precisa.

Why do we say para você here?

Para indicates purpose or destination—here, the bicycle is intended for you. The phrase para você specifically means “for you.” In everyday speech, Brazilians often use pra você instead of para você, but the meaning stays the same.

Is there a difference between preciso comprar and preciso de comprar?

Generally, we don’t add de before an infinitive in this structure. We say Eu preciso comprar (I need to buy). We only use Eu preciso de if it’s followed directly by a noun, for example, Eu preciso de uma bicicleta (I need a bicycle).

Can we use vou precisar comprar in this sentence?

Yes, vou precisar comprar means “I will need to buy,” adding a sense of future action. It’s a perfectly valid construction, just remember it conveys the notion that the need will arise in the future, rather than right now.

Can we shorten para você to pra você in writing?

You’ll often see pra você in informal writing or text messages in Brazilian Portuguese. It’s understood and commonly used, but in more formal contexts, para você is preferred.